Whether it's to raise awareness about important issues, encourage donations or spur action, non-profits know how to trigger emotion through video. High-profile organizations like UNICEF and Greenpeace have especially the resources to create great cinematic content.
But you don't necessarily need a big budget to make a difference. At Checksub, we believe that everyone can use videos to share their message and write the future.
So here's a handpicked selection of the most engaging and impactful non-profit videos, which you can use as inspiration to create your own action-packed video. Get ready to have your eyes popped!
Most Moving and Engaging Non-Profit Videos
"Give Earth a Hand", GREENPEACE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ep9MFiWXR8M
Greenpeace is an organization known for its sharp and poignant videos, ardently advocating for more sustainable living and ecosystem protection.
Here, on Earth Day, it seeks to make a strong statement about our consumerist habits and the basic needs of our planet and the people who inhabit it. The pictures contrast the individualistic hands that always want more with the collective hands that want a return to simple things. With such iconography, they convey a simple but extremely effective message: give a helping hand to the earth.
These kinds of videos that are based on body languages like a face or a hand often provide a direct impact on our emotions, and this video is no exception.
"For every child", UNICEF
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1xkXZs0cAQ
With this video, UNICEF restates its core mission that has always guided them: to help vulnerable children in difficult conditions to live a normal life. Their video also use strong images, with close-shot faces of oppressed children in their countries.
This focus allows proximity and direct empathy with their situation. With an increasing dramatic tone, the video relies on a strong and unique message: give a chance to every child in any country.
"The Time Machine", UK Charity Breast Cancer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wp7vQTYD5_g&t=37s
The UK Charity Breast Cancer announces and defends an enlightening promise: that breast cancer will be eradicated by 2050. Through the story of a little girl who wants to reassure her mother by building her a time machine, it uses a simple plot to have a deep emotional impact.
You just need to watch the determinate look of the girl and the moved eyes of her mother to feel the difficulties of this disease and the optimism that is needed to get a real solution. The most meaningful video storytelling is as short as this video and dares to use metaphoric objects like a time machine to convey a message.
"The Clock is Ticking" GirlEffect
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1e8xgF0JtVg&list=PLX94X9ncplmXqiJjx46Ouzi5eMlqMRKte&index=5
With a direct and flawless rhetoric, GirlEffect awakens its viewer to the cruel reality of teenage girls in poor countries.
The well-realized animation guides us through the tragic journey of these young girls, forced to give birth at a very early age and ending up with serious sexual diseases. The very striking effect of this video comes from its dramatization with hands trying to grab a girl avatar, triggering our most primary protective instincts.
It also opens a concrete way out of this situation, showing that actions are possible. It makes us immediately want to get involved in this cause!
Most Creative and Impactful Charity Videos
"The Sharing Experiment", Action Against Hunger
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFTspq_nzG4
Moving on to more original formats, Action Against Hunger shows here great creativity to raise awareness about the issue of hunger in poor countries. Through a charming experiment that involves children sharing a sandwich, they want to show the generosity that is hidden in everyone. It's a clever way to get the audience to think about a decisive question: how much effort is needed to give to one's neighbor?
The answer, here obvious, as the children all share their snacks with their neighbor, pushes directly to action with concrete metaphor.
"Most Shocking Second a Day" SaveTheChildren
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBQ-IoHfimQ
Certainly one of the best made non-profit videos on the Internet, SaveTheChildren takes the point of view of an ordinary child to make her experience the upheaval of a daily life in a country at war.
With a very close focus, we feel like we are living with the girl and are part of her family. The idea of filming ultra-short sequences also helps immersion, making it seem as if we are watching her diary on video. While the child sees her life turned upside down in an extremely sad scene, we see her petrified not having enough breath and desire to live to celebrate her birthday.
One can only feel very sympathetic with the final message: this intolerable situation can happen to any child, in a split second.
"It's a Jolly Holi-dog Celebration", Best Friend Animal Society
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KG3O6UBLGbA
Best Friend Animal Society plays on humor here by dressing up their abandoned dogs as Santa. They end up on the holiday table, enjoying Christmas food like the children of a family.
The organization tries to soften the viewer by showing him the primary benefit of a dog: to give a new companion a place at his side and at the table. It's a well-crafted and well-realized call to action that will melt viewers' hearts as Christmas approaches.
Most Powerful Testimony Video from Non-Profits
"The Spring", The Charity Water
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdBG5VO01e0&t=318s
Through the testimony of its founder Scott Harrison, The Charity Water conveys an extremely genuine storytelling that keeps you on the edge of your seat from start to finish.
Although the video is about 20 minutes long, you can't help but see how Scott is going to tackle the problem that destroyed his own life: unsafe drinking water. We learn about the initiative and their mission: to bring clean water to every village in need in Africa.
But we also learn about another extremely moving story: how the tragic death of a young girl helped raise millions for this cause. This is the power of emotion at its finest!
"It Gets Better", The Trevor Project
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RKmnAJ3ZWM
The Trevor Project is dedicated to fighting discrimination against LGBT people, and here they let Chris Colfer, a survivor of LGTBTQ violence, speak.
With a close-up still shot of his face, his face unapologetically reveals all the suffering he's endured and his speech pushes for optimism for anyone in distress. It is certainly this kind of live video testimony that has the most emotional impact.
"The Power of an Afghan Girl's Education" International Rescue Committee
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_Slx5ikCEU&t=48s
Recounting her life as a young Afghan girl now living in the U.S., Sadar Adish expresses her gratitude for an organization that has allowed her to live a life like others.
Through an authentic and emotional testimony, we quickly understand the power of education to give a second chance to people in difficult situations. It is a pragmatic video to show the work of the organization and to convince of its merits.
